'Jolly Rancher' Darryl Sutter praised by former players

Flames players had some interesting comments about Sutter, their former coach and general manager, in the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun. The consensus: the man doesn’t sugar-coat anything and drove them hard but players appreciated his honesty.

He can't arrive soon enough for the Kings, who on Tuesday lost their fifth straight game, a 3-0 defeat at Boston. They've scored only six goals in those five losses and have been shut out three times this season.

Sutter remains the Kings’ only candidate for the coaching job but some minor details are delaying the final details of his hiring. The Kings had to get permission from the Flames to talk to him and that was granted without complication.

It’s not clear if the deal with Sutter will be final in time for him to coach the Kings in their next game, Thursday at Columbus. Assistant coach John Stevens was put in charge on an interim basis for Tuesday’s loss at Boston, in which the performance and outcome were the same as they were under Murray's guidance. The trip continues Saturday at Detroit and Monday at Toronto.